The present invention relates to a friction stir welding method that is applicable to panel welding used, for example, in aluminum alloy railway cars and buildings.
A two-face structure (panel) for railway cars using hollow members is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 246863/1990, and another using laminated panels, such as honeycomb panels, is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 106661/1994.
The process of friction stir welding is performed by rotating a round rod inserted in a joint region to heat and plasticize the joint region thus forming a weld. This type of welding is generally applied to a butt joint and a lap joint, and is described in WO 93/10935 (which is the same as EP 0615480B1 and the Japanese Announcement laid-open publication No. Hei 7-505090 and in the publication Welding & Metal Fabrication, January 1995, pp. 13–16.